Omega Netball Club News

After a fantastic win to start the season last week, the team know that the pressure is on to deliver in the same vein.   This week, Omega 2 take on SAS Reds, who were 2nd in the Div 1 league table last season, so they know it’s going to be no walk-over.  With a couple of the team unavailable, Claire Statham, who hasn’t played on a regular basis since April,  steps in to play in defence and Leanne Mansfield joins in attack, both of whom are playing their first game of the season.   Omega take the starting centre pass and for the first few minutes, the game goes goal for goal, until Omega falter, breaking at their centre pass, which allows SAS to take an early lead.  Eight minutes in and SAS are leading 9-4 but a great rebound by GK, Louise Cousins gives Omega an opportunity to close the lead and the team take advantage of the steal.  The final 48 seconds of the quarter, with the score at 16-9 and it’s SAS centre pass.  Tight defensive play by Omega sees Louise intercepting the feed to the SAS GS and Omega are given another opportunity to reduce the lead, however the team fail to convert the much needed goal, but manage to prevent SAS from scoring before the whistle.

A change of defensive strategy in the 2nd quarter and Hannah Brown moves from WD to GS, swapping places with Ruby Brett.  The team have the advantage of starting the quarter again and they demonstrate great control in playing the safe ball until they find their GS, who secures the goal.  SAS WA footworks on the next centre pass and Omega capitalise on their error and manage to claw back 3 consecutive goals to open the 2nd quarter, reducing the difference to 4 goals. Unfortunately, the rest of the quarter doesn’t flow in the same manner and basic errors result in SAS punishing the team at every opportunity.

Another change to the team at half time, sees an unwell Nicola Rantell leave the court, Claire Statham moving from defense to pick the centre position and injured Andrea Kinninmonth taking the court, again for the first time this season.  The game starts with Omega breaking at their centre pass and this continues relentlessly throughout the quarter, with all players at the traverse line making this basic error at least once in the quarter.  This allowed SAS to open the lead radically, not only securing goals at their own centre pass, but punishing Omega for their continuous infringements, resulting in Omega’s heads dropping and  SAS increasing the lead by 13 goals as a result and ending the 3rd quarter 34-47.

The final quarter and a final change sees Nicola Rantell re-entering the court at WD and Ruby Brett taking the bench.  Omega have a 13 goal lead to close, but a pep talk from the coach sees the team returning from the break with more fight and determination, but with a 13 goal lead, it’s an almighty task that the team face.   This quarter, the team are more disciplined and controlled in their play and the quarter goes goal for goal throughout.  A much better display of play from Omega sees them maintain the status quo on the lead, however unable to reduce it, ending the game with a final score of 49-62 to SAS.

The score does not justify the court play in general, with Omega allowing their opposition to take the game with several basic errors which cost them the game.  A nervous and tense third quarter, proved costly, but one to learn from.  Omega had several new combinations today, but as per the beginning of  last season, the team need to get to know each other’s game and gel for the rest of the season.

The first game of the season for Omega 2 and it’s a Herts County Game. Gaining promotion to Division 1, having just missed out on the top spot of the 2nd Division table at the end of last season, Omega are set to face Equals, who finished 4th place in Div 1 last season, so they’re unsure of their fate.   A new team for the game with the introduction of newcomers, Ruby Brett at GS and Nicola Rantell at C and a couple of the squad missing, results in some players starting out of their usual position.

Omega start the game with the opening centre pass, securing the first goal of the game.  Equals struggle to control their play to start the quarter and Omega capitalise on it, taking an early 5 goal lead.  Omega settle quickly and the ball is well controlled by Nicola and Molly as they bring it down court, connecting well with both Sophie and Ruby to secure the goals, allowing the team to hold on to their lead for majority of the quarter, but a Equals begin to claw it back.  A break by Omega GA at our centre pass allows Equals close the gap to 3 goals and the next centre pass is theirs, from which secure their goal, closing the lead even further.   Claire Daws reads the game well and leaps to great height, intercepting the ball in the oppositions shooting circle, giving Omega the advantage once more.  With 40 seconds remaining, Equals are quick to pick up a loose ball in our shooting circle and punish with a goal.  The final 18 seconds and it’s Equals taking the final centre pass, but Omega apply the pressure and manage to prevent the goal, ending the quarter with a score of 16-13 to Omega.

Omega take the first centre pass of the 2nd quarter and settle nicely to take the first goal once again.   Equals error on their centre pass, giving Omega a second opportunity at goal, but we fail to hold on to the ball.  The team all play well, holding the lead throughout, but Equals are fighting back and close the score down to 2 goals difference, making the bench and spectators nervous, but that’s short-lived.  The team tighten up, read the game well, resulting in superb interceptions from Nicola Rantell and Claire Daws, allowing Omega to open the game once more.   Fantastic marking of the ball by Hannah Brown at WD in the final few minutes, forces Equals to error and Nicola is quick to pick up the ball and win ownership for Omega.  The first half of the game is a great opener for the team and their teamwork on court has paid off with the first half ending with an 8 goal lead and a score of 33-25 to Omega.

A switch at half time sees Hannah Brown reverting to her usual GS position and Ruby taking up WD.  An unsettled start to the second half of the game, but the team soon adjust and they begin to force their opposition to error.  Omega swiftly take control and the change of tactic at half time sees a much tighter defence played in the circle by Louise Cousins and Claire Daw, with Equals not so certain on feeding their shooting circle.  Omega maintain an 8 goal lead throughout the quarter, increasing it further in the latter part.  An attempt to increase it further with a final goal as the last centre pass is taken with just 10 seconds remaining, but Equals double up on our GS, intercepting the final attempt of the quarter and preventing the goal and the 3rd quarter ends with a score of 50-40.

The final quarter and Omega are keen to secure the game with steady, controlled play, which they maintain and increase their lead.  Equals break on their centre pass, which Omega are quick to punish and take the goal, taking the score to  53-40 to Omega with the first three centre passes.  We sustain the pressure on Equals both down the court and in the defensive circle, forcing errors on their opposition.  The whole team look comfortable on court and their confidence is evident as they approach the final whistle.  The feeds into Hannah at GS are spot on and the conversion rate from our shooters matches.    With 9 seconds remaining in the game, Omega make a final attempt to secure a goal, but they can’t quite make it.  The game ends with a fantastic high score of 72-53 and a very happy team.

A superb start to the season with all players giving their all and committing to the game.  A well fought game throughout by all and a great to watch the team play a controlled game in their first match together and their first game in Division 1.

The final game of the season for Herts League Division 2 and it’s a battle for the top of the table between Omega 2 and AFN 3. With regular GS Hannah Brown missing from the squad, Chloe D’Arcy steps up to fill the shooting role. A great turnout of supporters for the important game and more benches are needed.

With a squad of 8, Lisa Short takes the bench for the first quarter. The adrenaline is buzzing as a result of the fantastic England win over Australia earlier today and the team are up for giving it their best shot, competing for the ball at every opportunity, often penalised by the umpires for their efforts, with a caution given early to WD, Molly Brett for persistent contact, followed swiftly by a warning before the end of the quarter. The whole team defend hard, earning 12 turnovers in the first quarter, but some simple errors with breaks at centre pass and AFN winning more possession their way, proving costly. 90% accuracy in the shooting circle from GS, Sophie Humphry and GA, Chloe D’Arcy isn’t enough for Omega to win the quarter, as it ends 9-16 to AFN.

A change in the 1^st interval sees Molly taking the bench for the remainder of the game as the chance of a suspension could be too risky for the game. Lisa Short takes up the WD position and the game restarts. Omega continue to give their all to the game with more great defending throughout the court and another superb shooting quarter with 94% conversion, sees 15 of the attempted 16 shots scored and Omega winning the quarter 15-14, closing the lead by 1 goal by half time (score of 24-30).

The team are advised to think about the simple option, continue to go for the ball at every opportunity and put every shot up when the ball is in the circle.  A strategic change in the defence sees Andrea Kinninmonth and Julie Stanbridge swapping positions in the circle. Both teams return to court, ready to fight for the game and it continues in the same contested vein as in the first half. Omega fail to turnover the game as much as in the earlier quarters and more errors are made overall. AFN are quick to punish the errors and open up the lead by a further 3 goals, resulting in the score of 36-45 to AFN going into the final quarter.

Omega are reminded that the game is not lost in the last interval of the game and all players appear determined to give all they’ve got to the bitter end. Once again Omega fail to turnover ball possession as much this quarter, but also make very few errors. The game is a battle of the shooters, each team accurate in converting the goals when they have the opportunity. As much as the team give 100% to the game, the lead proves too much and AFN take the game 63-52.

Whilst the game was lost, the Omega team should feel proud of their performance and their achievement throughout the season. Achieving 2^nd place on the table in their first season in division 2, is fantastic! Usually, 2^nd place would result in promotion for the 2^nd year running, but with Cheshunt 1 being demoted from East Region League, we rely on Harpenden getting through the Regional Play-offs to determine our fate.

A big thank you to Chloe D’Arcy for plugging the gap whenever we’ve needed her this season and playing brilliantly on every occasion…we couldn’t have achieved 2^nd place without you! Another big shout out to the supporters not only from today, but those that have turned out regularly over the season…the difference you make to us players is amazing!

Hallelujah….we’re back at Sir Freds!!!  The rematch against Buntingford and having lost by 4 goals in the 1st round, Omega were expecting a tough, contested game as Buntingford read the ball well and go for every ball.

The match started with Hannah Brown – GS; Sophie Humphry – GA; Lisa Short – WA, Emma Faulkner – C; Molly Brett – WD; Andrea Kinninmonth – GD and returning to her first Herts League game after pregnancy, Julie Stanbridge – GK and Leanne Mansfield on the bench.    Omega started well with the team gaining an early lead of 3-0, controlling the ball well and winning possession of the ball  from the opposition on several occasions.    Even though we didn’t always hold on to every advantage gained, the team successfully converted 17 goals in the opening quarter and kept Buntingford to just 11.

A change at WA saw Leanne pick up the WA position from Lisa Short and reminder from the coach to keep hold of the balls we gain!  The team return to court, knowing there is a long way to go in the game so we all have to give everything we have to maintain the opening lead.   Buntingford return to court ready to fight for the game and close the lead to just 4 goals in this quarter.  Although often struggling to get the ball out on the centre pass and regular congestion in the defence and mid court area, Omega maintain their discipline and controlled play which allows them to regain their lead, with this quarter being a draw of 13-13 (score of 30-24).

A half time chat about our positioning, congestion and ball placement and a decision taken to try to establish team stability, results in the team staying as per the 2nd quarter as the lead gained isn’t as comfortable as we’d like.    This quarter, the team settle into their positions well and whilst we still struggle on occasion at centre pass, support from the defence allows the team to maintain possession.  Some superb rebounds and interceptions by Julie and you’d never have thought this was her 1st Herts League game, after giving birth end of November!     The whole team settle and turnover balls and this quarter, we are more aware of our space and the court is less congested and the whole mid court, Leanne, Emma and Molly work to carefully take the ball to our shooters, Sophie and Hannah, both of whom have been extremely accurate in their conversion throughout the entire game, resulting in the game really opening up this quarter, with Omega gaining a 15 goal lead and a score of 48-33 going into the final quarter.

A final change to the team with Lisa taking back the WA position from Leanne and a team chat to continue our current, safe play!  We loose the 1st centre pass, but quickly get back on the attack to recover.   Once again, this quarter sees the team controlling their play and thinking about the next pass to secure the goals.  More impressive defending from Julie and Molly and also the midcourt players, Lisa and Em as they pick up loose balls and intercept the passes, before impressively maintaining the ball ownership to goal!    Likewise, continued accuracy with goal conversion by Hannah and Sophie and Buntingford know the game is lost.  A final score of 63-41 and Omega are extremely happy with the result, as Buntingford are the only team who have beaten top of the table, Abby Flyers, who Omega have next game.

Next game will see both Abby Flyers and Omega battling to secure the top of the table position and promotion to Division 1.

An early fixture and the return game between Omega 2 and Hornets 5 is expected to be a tough one, with Omega only clenching the one in the first round by 8 goals.  With a depleted defence and once again, GA Chloe D’Arcy stepping up and playing out of position in GD, the team are ready to give their all.  A quick chat ahead of the game to keep the team morale and support high throughout and the starting team being GS – Hannah Brown; GA – Sophie Humphry; WA – Leanne Mansfield; C – Lisa Short; WD – Molly Brett; GD – Chloe D’Arcy; GK – Andrea Kinninmonth and Emma Faulkner starting on the bench.

The team take the court and immediately loose the ball at the 1st centre pass, but soon settle and take begin to take an early lead in the game, securing the next 3 goals.   Some good space in the attack circle allowed the attack players to find the shooters with ease and spot on shooting secured a great start to the game, with the defence sitting tight preventing Hornets getting into double figure goals.  The 1st quarter ended with a score of 20-9 to Omega.

A change of attack, with Sophie Humphry taking the bench, replaced with Emma Faulkner in GA and just a reminder to block after defending the ball and the team return to court feeling confident with their play.  A change to the Hornets defence play sees more pressure on GS Hannah Brown this quarter, which unsettled Omega for the opening minutes of the quarter, but determined to push on, Omega soon found their mojo and were not deterred by the tactical change of play.    Not such a high scoring quarter, but Omega pressed on further, increasing their lead further to 31-15 at half time.

Another change to the team at half time, saw Lisa Short taking the bench, replaced at C by Emma Faulkner and Sophie Humphry returning to GA.   Solid defending by the whole team this quarter, resulted in many turnovers by Omega once more.  Omega’s controlled play allows them to punish Hornets at every opportunity and Hornets struggle to send the ball to the their shooters this quarter as a result.  Hornets are pulled on a couple of consecutive centre passes for not being fully set and Omega are quick to take advantage of their errors.  Another higher scoring quarter with Omega gaining 16 more goals, whilst Hornets only secure a mere 6, resulting in the score going into the final quarter, being 47-22.

A final change to the Omega squad, with Leanne Mansfield leaving the court and Lisa Short taking up the WA.  With a 25 goal lead, Omega are told to play the ball safe this quarter and they work hard at achieving this.  Omega persist with pressuring their opponents and are solid in playing as a team once more.  Omega’s bogus 4th quarter sees them making a few errors, but not as many as they pressure their opponents into.  Another high scoring quarter with 17 goals scored by Omega maintaining their lead comfortably throughout the entire game.  This quarter is the highest scoring for Hornets, with them achieving double figures in goals and just managing to secure a point on the league table by attaining just over half score in the game. Omega have proved too strong an opposition for the young Hornets teams, with a final score of 64-33.  A cracking display of netball from the entire Omega squad, with everyone giving their all to the game.  Division 1 is looking a possibility.  If the team can maintain the standard of play seen in this match, they’d hold their own if promotion is achieved.

With Captain and team GK, Louise Cousins suffering a severe back injury from the game last Sunday, Omega take the court today with a different defence setup, with Chloe D’Arcy, usually an attacking player,  stepping up to play as GD. Bishops Stortford turn up with their regular shooter having returned from injury and Omega’s thoughts are that this is going to be a tough game. Omega start the game with Emma Faulkner on the bench and the Omega team are not deterred by the task ahead of them. They start the game well, although a little unsettled with a different squad. They take an early lead as Chloe puts the pressure on and wins some great balls from Bishops Stortford with a score of 17-11 to Omega by the end of the 1^st quarter.

A reminder to lose our players and to defend the pass during the break and a change to the centre position, with Emma Faulkner taking the position and Lisa Short taking the bench. Bishops Stortford also make a change to their team and the game restarts. This quarter sees some impressive reading of the game by Molly Brett at WD and Chloe D’Arcy at GD gaining more opportunities for Omega and they keep Bishops Stortford to just 8 goals scored. This coupled with good linking down court by the midfield players, who found the shooters in the circle with relative ease and consistent shooting from both GS Hannah Brown and GA Sophie Humphry, allows Omega to increase their lead further, scoring a massive 20 goals, this quarter ending the 1^st half of the game 37-19.

At half time, Leanne Mansfield takes the bench, replaced by Lisa Short, returning at WA and the team are reminded to keep control and ensure front passing. The team settle back into the game and continue as they finished the first half with majority of the ball ownership belonging to Omega. Bishops Stortford keep their heads in the game and are not ready to concede it. They attack hard to stay in the game, but Omega prove a force to contend with and once again, Omega prevent them scoring high, allowing only 6 goals this quarter. Omega however are hot on the ball and push on in an attempt to prevent their opposition getting a point for the table and by the final quarter, they are on target with a score of 51-25 going into the final quarter.

A final change to the team with Leanne Mansfield returning to court and Sophie Humphry taking the bench and Omega look good to take the game. A final team talk is that of control and retaining ball ownership, but at the 1^st centre pass, this is short lived and Bishops Stortford punish our error, taking the 1^st 2 goals of the quarter. Omega recompose and begin to play with more control and considered passes, steadily moving the ball to goal. Not the best of quarters for the Omega team and consistent with the play in last week’s game, but nevertheless, even though Bishops Stortord win the quarter, Omega take the game win with a final score of 59-37.

Omega 2 took on top of the table, Watford Premier in the Herts League, Division 2, re-arranged game this weekend.  With a bare 7 squad facing the top spot team, Omega were anxious ahead of the game, but this was not evident as they took the court and opened the game with a straight 4-0 lead, continuing to increase their lead to 9-1 in the opening minutes, showing the opposition we were determined to fight for the game.  The team played a controlled game, seeing every one of their centre passes converted to goal, with fantastic shooting by both GS, Hannah Brown and GA, Sophie Humphry.  They took advantage of errors made by Watford Prem and punished the opposition at every opportunity, showing them we were determined to put on a good show and were up for taking the game.   The solid play by the entire team in the first quarter gave Omega a comfortable lead to go into the 2nd quarter, with a score of 17-7.

The 2nd quarter and Omega are as solid as they were in the 1st.   Great, consistent support from the WD, Molly Brett and GD, Andrea Kinninmonth on our centre passes allowed Omega to maintain ownership of the ball, playing the safe ball forward until we found our shooters, who persistently converted their shots.  The team continued to support each-other and work together throughout with some superb linking midcourt by all players and strong feeds from C, Emma Faulkner and WA, Lisa  Short

to finish off.  An injury to GK, Louise Cousins’ back mid quarter saw her calling time and leaving the court for treatment.  She returned to court after a goal, but was extremely limited in her movement from then on and the team knew they all had to give that little bit more to take the pressure off their injured player.   We continued to increase our lead, scoring 16 goals this quarter and limiting Watford Prem to 11, ending the 1st half of the game 33-18.

The team returned to court for the 2nd half of the game, believing the win was in sight, but knew they needed to maintain control and continue to play as they had in the 1st half.   Molly Brett at WD read the ball well, intercepting many a ball, helping the team to once again increase their lead this quarter.   The whole team continue to play a controlled game throughout the quarter, with dogged support from the defence players to take the ball to goal.  Once again Omega limit their opposition to 13 goals, scoring 16 themselves.  A comfortable cushion going into the final quarter, with a score of 49-31.

By the final quarter playing with an injured player was beginning to take it’s toll, with the team looking tired and unable to hold onto the ball as they had in the rest of the game.  This said, everyone continued to give it their all and did not give up.  Watford Prem took advantage of Omega’s weiriness, clawing back some goals, but by now it was too late and the final score was 60-48 to Omega.  This has put Omega 2nd on the table, to AFN, who Omega have yet to play.    We wish Louise a speedy recovery for next weeks game against Bishops Stortford.

With a squad of 8 for the game, the decision was made to rotate the team each quarter to allow all players a fair share of the game.   Omega started the game with confidence and maybe a little complacency having previously beaten the opposition 92-25 and this was evident in the first quarter.  Some different faces in the Turnford team and they started with determination, giving Omega a wake up call as they held their own in the opening half of the quarter, even taking the lead in the first few minutes.  Omega began to settle but took their time in doing so, allowing Turnford to stay in the game, with a score of 14-9 at the end of the 1st quarter.

A swift talking to by the coach in the break to sharpen up our passing and play, followed by a change in attack, with Emma Faulkner taking up the GA position and Sophie Humphry replacing her on the bench and the team return to court.   This quarter the team get back to their game and begin to move the ball down the court with better control and skill.  The shooters position themselves well in the circle and are supported well with great feeds in from the mid-court players.  Omega own the ball from centre pass to goal consistently and score double the goals of the opposition as the defence are tight and keep Turnford down to just 8 goals scored, leaving the score 30- 17 to Omega by half time.

Another change to the attack for the 3rd quarter, sees GS, Hannah Brown take the bench and Sophie returning to court, taking up the position.    The rotation play and inter-passing between the shooters in the circle is sweet, as is the support from the attacking players.     The team have tightened their passing throughout the court and drive towards the ball much more.  Another great quarter for Omega, scoring another 17 goals this quarter and the defence once again have limited Turnford to just 7 goals.

The final quarter, a comfortable lead and the final change to the Omega team sees Lisa Short take the bench, Emma move to centre, Sophie move back to GA and Hannah return to GS.   The start of the quarter and Turnford are not perturbed by the score, continuing to fight for the ball and take it to goal at every opportunity.    A steady quarter for Omega to end what has been a more challenging game than expected, against a much changed and improved Turnford team.   Some great netball displayed throughout the latter three quarters,  to combat the scrappy start.  A final score of 60-33 to Omega, taking them into 3rd position on the table, which shows them as the only Division 2 team that have scored over 500 goals to date.

A tough game next week, facing top of the table, Watford Prem.  Let’s hope the 2018 winning streak continues!